


Lion Heart

by Hannahmayski



Category: Naruto
Genre: ANBU Aburame Shino, ANBU Hyuuga Hinata, AU, Anbu Inuzuka Kiba, BAMF Hyuuga Hinata, Gen, because they're both a bunch of idiots, hinata is strong and amazing, i cannot stop thinking about how team gr8 killed those kids in the chuunin exams, i would die for hinata, or Canon Divergence, sometimes you've just gotta manhandle your teammates, team 8 are my precious murder team, they are not here to mess around, they become chuunin earlier
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-12-23
Updated: 2018-12-23
Packaged: 2019-09-25 17:51:16
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,353
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17125988
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Hannahmayski/pseuds/Hannahmayski
Summary: In the forest of death, Hinata stands, watching the limp forms of their victims as the leeches suck every ounce of blood from their bodies and she feels nothing.(Hinata and her team are strong, one of the strongest even. The world's just a little slow to catch up)





	Lion Heart

**Author's Note:**

> I read over this one (1) time so there are probably errors. 
> 
> MERRY CHRISTMAS AND HAPPY HOLIDAYS TO EVERYONE!!! 
> 
> This is for Day 3 of Hinata Week: Lioness Queen/ ~~Techniques~~

In the forest of death, Hinata stands, watching the limp forms of their victims as the leeches suck every ounce of blood from their bodies and she feels nothing.

At first, it's a little unnerving - the lack of anything as she watches several people die in front of her by her team's hand. But she knows that this is just a part of the job of a shinobi. A shinobi that's too afraid to kill is a useless one and that is something that she will not be.

This is exactly what Kurenai has trained them for.

Hinata stopped being a child a long time ago, she's ready to be a Chuunin, she's more than ready to throw herself into the next step of her career ahead of her.

Fatalities are an unfortunate part of the process. It's something that everyone knows. And Team 8 have something to prove to Konoha, to the world. They're strong, and they will not be ignored. 

She turns to her teammates and meets Kiba's near-feral grin and Shino's stony indifference and she knows that this is the team she is meant to be in.

 

 

Neji is stronger than Hinata.

She knows this.

She also knows that her heart will stop beating, that she'll break every bone in her body before she gives up.

Hinata sucks in a rattling breath, blood dripping into her vision but she keeps her legs steady, her eyes focused and her chin up.

She will become a Chuunin, and there is nothing Neji can do to stop her.

Neji is stronger than her, but when it comes to her will, her determination, well, Neji doesn't hold a candle to her raging fire.

 

 

Her Chuunin vest is a tiny victory in her calloused hands. Another step, another box to tick off in her career, but it's bittersweet.

Kiba's breathing is near silent, his face unusually pale as he lays on the hospital bed. Shino sits next to her, hunched over and she can feel the guilt and frustration pouring from him in equal measure as herself.

She's not sure exactly what happened, aside from the fact that everyone suffered injuries, and the mission was a failure.

Kiba's face suddenly pinches, he's in pain even in sleep and there’s nothing Hinata can do about it.

Shino straightens up, watching Kiba's face for a moment, waiting for any sign of waking.

Kiba's own Chuunin vest is just off to the side on the floor, waiting for him to wake. _They did it_ and Kiba's still not awake to be annoying about it.

The next few seconds drag out slower and slower until the two of them slump back onto their seats.

Hinata rubs at her healing injuries and knows that as much as she wants to become a shinobi, she refuses to do it without Shino and Kiba at her side.

 

 

The ANBU wasn't somewhere Hinata thought she'd end up. The black ops seemed far out of the range of possibilities for her.

Hinata stops, leaning against a tree with one hand, her breaths coming out hot and fast. She has Shino’s arm in a tight, steady grip with her other hand, making sure he doesn’t stumble.

Hinata is far from the person she once was. She is strong. One of the strongest. Her and her team have made a name for themselves even beyond the borders of Fire Country as people you simply cannot run from.

Kiba grabs Shino's other side, and she can just imagine his eyes roaming across of the wound in Shino's leg, assessing the severity of the injury, the exact type of jutsu he’ll need to perform to fix it, how they’re going to get Shino home without tearing the wound open.

Hinata lowers Shino to the ground gently, looking over to Kiba as his hands fly through a series of hand signs. She adjusts her mask – a light yellow, mixed in with reds and oranges, accompanied by a subtle splattering of whiskers to represent a lion – and pulls it away from her face. There is no one left alive to follow them, and there is no one in their current location to cause a fuss at her exposed face.  

As if sensing her eyes on him, Kiba looks up at her, his face obscured by his own mask, bone white aside from the painted on red nose and the mouth that’s pulled into an eerie sort of grin.  She knows he understands the meaning in her gaze - they're far away from the Fire Country border, Kiba can't afford to spill the rest of his chakra reserve into Shino to heal the wound entirely.

It’s a reminder, but one she’s not sure he’ll listen to.

Kiba's stamina is something to marvel at, but even he'd struggle to make it back to Konoha.

They might just have to settle on healing the most vital parts of Shino's injury, wrapping up the wound and getting on their way.

It was an unlucky shot and outdated intel that led them into this predicament. The mission was a success, but unfortunately not without consequence.

Shino inhales sharply as Kiba's gloved hands press into the wound, emitting a soft green glow.

Hinata keeps a steady hand on Shino's back, keeping him upright and grounded. Field medicine was something she had pursued, but not to the extent that Kiba had, once he discovered his love for the role and she had realised there were other areas she was more interested in.

"Stop," Shino eventually grits out just as Hinata's hand snaps out to steady Kiba as he sways. Hinata steadies him and doesn’t let go until Akamaru sinks his teeth into the back of Kiba's ANBU vest, securing him upright.

"Idiot," Hinata hisses out, pulling bandages out of one of her pockets and busying herself with bandaging up Shino's wound.

Akamaru lets out a soft whine of agreement as he roughhouses Kiba until he's sitting propped up against a tree and is able to get is breath back under control.  

"It's a deep wound," he grunts out, pulling of his mask to reveal a flushed, exhausted face underneath.

"Shino couldn't afford anything less."

Hinata pulls off Shino's mask – characterised by its many eyes, to allow him a moment of reprieve.

"Kiba," He grits out, his face covered in a sheen of sweat and his expression pulled into one that Hinata knows means _I'm in a lot of pain but I'm doing by best to hold myself together_.   
Hinata cuts off whatever Shino was going to say by hauling Shino to his feet and helping him over to Akamaru, knowing there's no way Shino's going to be walking back to Konoha on his own.

"As much as I wish Kiba hadn't spent half his life force-" Kiba interrupts her with the most exhausted huff she's ever heard, and she silences him with a fondly exasperated glare of her own.

"As much as I wish Kiba hadn't spent half his life force into one session,” she repeats. “The wound _is_ deep, Shino."

She looks at Shino, disgruntled and more in pain than genuinely angry with Kiba. She knows Shino would pour out his entire chakra reserve if it meant keeping one of them alive, just as Kiba has demonstrated time and time again and just as Hinata would without a second hesitation.

Kiba sends Shino a smile, not as strong or passionate as it usually is, and that seems to make Shino's frown worsen and she almost rolls her eyes.

She never thought she'd end up in the ANBU of all places, she didn't think she'd still be able to be with two of the people she considers family, and yet that's exactly where she's ended up.

She pulls Kiba to his feet, smiling at the tiny startled noise he makes.

Her family are two of the biggest idiots she knows, and if anyone saw their reactions, it wouldn't seem as though they'd just carried out an extremely high-profile mission.

But, Hinata is exactly where she wants to be in life, and she wouldn't trade it for the world.

**Author's Note:**

> Idk anymore I just winged it, I just love Hinata and team 8 so much. They're so scary and I love them 
> 
> (If you're interested in participating in Team 8 week 2019, check out the prompts here!!)
> 
> Hmu on my [writing blog](https://echoswriting.tumblr.com/) or my [naruto blog](https://arokiba.tumblr.com/) i am ready for friendship babey 
> 
> Comments and Kudos really water my garden and are greatly appreciated!!


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